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“Crop growth was vigorous and with a very dense stand, towards the end of the season we were battling to walk through it. It virtually smothered everything else out and weed control was great, near on 100%.
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By switching their canola to Monola®, the Goldsmiths have been able to collect premiums of up to $95/t above the market price for canola.

Developed by Nuseed, Monola® is sought after for its unique oil properties. As a healthier frying oil which is lower in saturated fat, the demand for Monola® is growing in Australia and internationally.

“Growing Monola® is exactly the same as growing canola, but with the premium on top we make more money,” said Mr Goldsmith.

They were among the first Western Australian farmers to try growing Nuseed’s Monola® in 2010 and have grown it every year since.

“Last year, the paddocks dried out and the crop just about cooked by September, so our Monola® only averaged 990 kg/ha at 42 to 43% oil.”

However, it out-yielded their standard canola crop by 100 kg/ha.

This season they are switching 100% of their oilseed crop (about 170 hectares) to the latest variety, Nuseed Monola® 416TT.

“When we combine all the data from last year’s National Variety Trials and Nuseed’s trials, Monola® 416TT produced a gross income of $145/ha higher than ATR Stingray,” he said.

Nuseed Monola® 416TT is an early to early-mid maturing open-pollinated variety with good early vigour.

“It can be grown in low to medium rainfall zones and offers good adaptability, solid blackleg resistance and improved yields and oil levels,” said Mr Royce.

“It’s certainly a viable option for a lot of growers if they are looking to pick up this year’s guaranteed premium payment of $95/t.”

Mr Royce said there was strong grower interest in Monola® this year, with several growers joining Nuseed on a tour of the Pinjarra oilseed crush plant earlier this month.

“We hosted a field day on Wednesday 9 March to give our new and existing Monola® growers a look through the crush plant,” he said.

“It was the first time Ross and Carol had been through the plant after all their years growing Monola® and we had another dozen interested farmers attending as well.”

Mr Royce said growers would need on-farm storage after harvest as delivery times for Monola® were limited to January to March. At the moment, Pinjarra is the only place Monola® can be delivered in Western Australia.

“Early in the new year is a good time to deliver grain and pick up a backload of fertiliser or lime, so the timing suits a lot of growers,” he said.

The Goldsmiths’ hard work each year helps their crops achieve high yields and every paddock needs to earn its keep.

“The crops are planted with starter fertilisers, plus at cabbaging stage we spray liquid fertilisers to top up nitrogen, sulphur and some trace elements,” Mr Goldsmith said.

The triazine tolerance helps them combat wild radish.

As harvest approaches, the Monola® is desiccated with glyphosate and sulphate of ammonia to help with evenness and then direct headed.

Mr Goldsmith said their Monola® crops had averaged 1.2 t/ha over the five years.

“One year I think we only got half a tonne to the hectare, but the next year more than made up for it,” he said.

He added that when they could deliver seed with oil levels above 42%, they received the same oil bonification as canola.

As well as winter cropping, around half of the 950 hectare property is devoted to pasture for the Merino poll dorset cross lambs.

‘Glenhar’ has been in the Goldsmith family for more than 90 years.

With an annual average rainfall of around 300 mm, they have had a good start to this year, with some parts of the farm already receiving 120 mm of rainfall.

This means they will target yields of up to 2 t/ha in Monola®.

“We’re looking forward to a better season than the last,” Mr Goldsmith said.

“We like a bit of deep summer rain to store moisture under the ground. Now all we need is a top up at planting time.”

They have their seed ordered and the airseeder will be out and ready to go any time from Anzac Day.

“In my experience Monola® is as easy to manage as any other TT canola variety and you get paid more for it.”

Who is Nuseed?

Nuseed is different. We develop plant traits and top performing canola, sorghum and sunflower hybrid seeds that create new markets and shared value chain opportunities. It demonstrates our global commitment to grow Beyond Yield™ and is what sets us apart.